Sangam: A Confluence of Knowledge Streams

Shadows of the Bat. Constructions of Good and Evil in the Batman Movies of Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan

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dc.creator Simon Philipp Born
dc.date 2021-02-12T10:28:40Z
dc.date 2021-02-12T10:28:40Z
dc.date 2020-09-03 11:50:38
dc.date 2017
dc.date.accessioned 2023-02-18T19:28:56Z
dc.date.available 2023-02-18T19:28:56Z
dc.identifier 47040
dc.identifier 2414-0201
dc.identifier https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/63517
dc.identifier https://www.schueren-verlag.de/programm/titel/559-drawn-stories-moving-images-jrfm-1-2017.html
dc.identifier https://jrfm.eu/index.php/ojs_jrfm/article/view/81
dc.identifier.uri http://localhost:8080/xmlui/handle/CUHPOERS/249586
dc.description The superhero narrative is typically premised on the conflict between the hero and the villain, the mythical struggle between good and evil. It therefore promotes a Manichaean worldview where good and evil are clearly distinguishable quantities. This bipolar model is questioned in the Batman movies of Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan. Since his creation in 1939, Batman has blurred the line between black and white unlike any other classic comic book superhero. As a “floating signifier”, he symbolizes the permeability of boundaries, for his liminal character inhabits a world between light and darkness, order and anarchy, hero and villain. Drawing on the complex ambiguity of the character, Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan deconstruct the traditional dichotomy of good and evil in the superhero narrative by reversing its polarity and emphasizing the fictionality of it all. Although they differ in style and method, both filmmakers invite us to overcome the Manichaean belief in favor of a more ambivalent and sophisticated viewpoint.
dc.format image/jpeg
dc.language eng
dc.publisher Schüren Verlag
dc.publisher Drawn Stories, Moving Images. Comic Books and their Screen Adaptations
dc.relation Journal for Religion, Film and Media
dc.rights open access
dc.title Shadows of the Bat. Constructions of Good and Evil in the Batman Movies of Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan
dc.resourceType chapter
dc.licenseCondition Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International
dc.relationisPublishedBy 5b80c228-3393-4862-a8e9-6c35a63484f1
dc.pages 75-104
dc.relationisPartOfBook cc960d70-3fb0-4059-b5a8-cb973322114e


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